Nurturing care: perceptions and practices of caregivers for children under five in the Ecuadorian highlands - a qualitative study.

Introduction: The importance of nurturing care for child development is well-established, and parents play a central role in providing this care. However, cultural values and traditions can influence child-rearing practices, and there are gaps in child welfare in Ecuador. Two research questions delve into caregivers' definitions of nurturing care for children aged 0-5 and its alignment with World Health Organization's concept.

A Novel Monoclonal Antibody Against a Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) Envelope Protein as a Tool for MVA Virus Titration by Flow Cytometry.

Modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus is a widely used vaccine platform, making accurate titration essential for vaccination studies. However, the current plaque forming unit (PFU) assay, the standard for MVA titration, is prone to observer bias and other limitations that affect accuracy and precision. To address these challenges, we developed a new flow cytometry-based quantification method using a highly specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) for the detection of MVA-infected cells, as a more accurate titration assay.

Evaluating low and high vitamin D levels in Ecuadorian cities from 2018 to 2022: interrupted time series and a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To identify differences in the mean vitamin D concentrations in samples obtained from a private laboratory in Quito and to explore their relationship with the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods spanning from 2018 to 2022.

Design: A combination of an interrupted time series design and a retrospective cross-sectional approach.

Setting And Participants: The study involved 9285 participants who had their 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels tested at a well-known private laboratory in Quito, Ecuador, from 2018 to 2022.

Determinants of overweight and obesity among children between 5 to 11 years in Ecuador: A secondary analysis from the National Health Survey 2018.

Background: During the 1990s, global eating habits changed, affecting poorer and middle-income nations, as well as richer countries. This shift, known as the "obesity transition," led to more people becoming overweight or obese worldwide. In Ecuador, this change is happening, and now, one in three children is affected by overweight or obesity (OW/OB).